Four Mark Casse trainees are among a record 201 horses pre-entered for the 31st Breeders’ Cup World Championships, set for Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, California, Friday, October 31, and Saturday, November 1.
Breeders’ Cup races set for Friday, October 31, will air in Canada on TSN2 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and the card slated for Saturday November 1 will also be on TSN2 (6:00pm to 9:00pm). In addition, Woodbine’s Horseplayer Interactive TV network is providing full coverage each day.
Casse, a six-time Sovereign Award winning trainer, will saddle Conquest Typhoon (Juvenile Turf), Conquest Harlanate (Juvenile Fillies Turf), Conquest Eclipse (Juvenile Fillies) and Kaigun (Mile/Turf Sprint) at the two-day event at Santa Anita Park.
All but Conquest Eclipse are Ontario-bred horses.
“That just shows you how good the Canadian program has become and everyone in Ontario should be proud of that,” said Casse.
Top local rider Patrick Husbands is slated to ride Conquest Harlanate, Conquest Typhoon and Kaigun, while Corey Nakatani will partner Conquest Eclipse.
Conquest Harlanate, bred in Ontario by Windhaven Farm Limited, earned a berth in the Juvenile Fillies Turf with a neck score in the Grade 2 Natalma Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event at Woodbine on September 13. Natalma runner-up Isabella Sings is also entered in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
“She’s training super,” said Casse of Conquest Harlanate. “I said to Norm (son, assistant trainer) the other morning, ‘I don’t know if she can win, but she thinks she can.’ She’s very confident right now.”
Last time out, Conquest Harlanate won the Grade 3 Mazarine Stakes, a 1 1/16-miles ‘Poly’ stake.
“So far she’s handled everything we’ve thrown at her,” said Casse. “I was very happy to get that two-turn race into her (in the Mazarine), as she gained a lot of experience from that.”
Conquest Typhoon, bred in Ontario by Josham Farms Limited, earned a berth in the Juvenile Turf after breaking his maiden impressively in the Grade 2 Summer Stakes, a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In event on September 13.
Most recently, Conquest Typhoon finished second to Juvenile Turf rival International Star in the 1 1/16-miles Grade 3 Grey Stakes on the Woodbine main. Conquest Typhoon carried 125 pounds in that event, 10 more than International Star.
“I came very close to not running him. It’s one thing for an older horse to carry 125 pounds, it’s another thing for a two-year-old making his first start around two turns,” said Casse. “All that being said, that’s not what got him beat. Patrick (Husbands) said, that when he started to open up he saw the tracks from the starting gate and put on the brakes. It wasn’t a matter of not being able to go that far.”
Kaigun, bred in Ontario by William Sorokolit Racing Stable Inc., captured the Grade 2 Play the King Stakes at Woodbine on August 10 and finished second to Breeders’ Cup Mile rival Trade Storm in the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile on September 14.
Casse has cross-entered the four-year-old Northern Afleet chestnut in the Turf Sprint.
“When Wise Dan was still in the picture, we had every intention to just run down the hill (in the Turf Sprint),” said Casse. “With Wise Dan out of there, we’ll more than likely go in the Mile.
“We know the turf will be a lot firmer which we think he’ll like. We’re also hoping there will be some pace for him to run at. His last race (4th in the Shadwell Turf Mile) there was no pace whatsoever.”
Kaigun, co-owned by Gary Barber, Horse’n Around Racing Stable (nom de course of Toronto’s Harvey Swartz) and Quintessential Racing Florida finished ninth in the Queen’s Plate last season, has blossomed as a four-year-old turf specialist.
“A lot of it had to do with him becoming a gelding, and, of course, the turf as well,” said Casse. “He’s good on the dirt as well. He raced once on the dirt (Jan. 17/14 at Gulfstream) and it became a key race with all the horses in it going on to do well. Some day we may give him another shot on it.”
Conquest Eclipse, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Malibu Moon, broke her maiden at Churchill Downs on June 29 and has since hit the board in a pair of Grade 1 stakes finishing third in the Del Mar Debutante and second in the Chandelier Stakes, at Santa Anita. The talented bay is entered in the Juvenile Fillies.
“If you made me list our horses in order of who I think has the best chance, she would probably be first,” said Casse. “Her last two races have been good and I think she can even be better. She’s training really well and has a race over the track.
“Corey has won 10 Breeders’ Cup races and we’re hoping she’ll be number 11.”
Gail Cox will send out her second Breeders’ Cup starter when she saddles Something Extra in Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. Her first starter, Hard Not to Like, finished fifth in the 2011 edition of the Grade 2 Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Eurico Rosa da Silva takes over from Julien Leparoux who guided the Kentucky-bred chestnut to a determined second-place run to Turf Sprint rival Dimension, a graded stakes winner at Woodbine, in the Kentucky Downs Turf Dash.
“His last race at Kentucky Downs was a huge effort as it was uphill coming home and he was high weight in the race (125 pounds). He hasn’t run a bad race this year,” said Cox.
Cox believes that effort over the undulating Kentucky Downs turf could prove helpful as the six-year-old gelding traverses Santa Anita’s unique downhill configuration.
“He really handled that track and I think it bodes well for Santa Anita,” said Cox. “At Kentucky Downs, they come out of the gate and bend to the right a bit and then they have a long sweeping turn. There’s a bit of up and down going on and he really loved that track.
“He came out of the race well. He’s breezed one half-mile and he’ll have his final breeze here on Friday and ship out to Lexington on Sunday and fly out to California early Monday morning.”
Eugene Melnyk’s Leigh Court, trained by Josie Carroll, earned a berth in the Filly and Mare Sprint with a rousing three-length score in the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, at Keeneland.
The dark bay daughter of Grand Slam-Padmore earned honours as Canada’s Champion three-year-old filly last season after a five-win campaign including scores in the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen, as well as the Duchess and La Lorgnette Stakes.
Gary Boulanger, an Edmonton native based at Woodbine, retains the mount on Leigh Court.
Brian Lynch will send out Grand Arch in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. The bay son of Arch, owned by Jim and Susan Hill, captured Woodbine’s Grade 2 King Edward Stakes on June 22.
The five-year-old gelding enters the one-mile turf tilt off a second-place finish to the now injured Wise Dan in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile. John Velazquez will take over from David Moran at the Breeders’ Cup.
Windsor, Ontario native J. Paul Reddam is the owner of four Breeders’ Cup starters including Eddie’s First (Sprint / Turf Sprint), Handsome Mike (Dirt Mile / Mile), Indexical (Sprint / Turf Sprint) and Miltee (AE Juvenile Turf).
Charles Fipke, a native of Kelowna, BC, will race Unbridled Forever in the Distaff.
Additional updates are available at www.breederscup.com. Further details about the Canadian horses will be available at www.woodbineracetrack.com.
Expected Canadian-connected horses pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup:
FRIDAY OCTOBER 31, 2014
GRADE 1 $1-MILLION JUVENILE TURF
– Conquest Typhoon – Ontario-bred by Josham Farms Limited
– Miltee – Owned by J. Paul Reddam
GRADE 1 $1-MILLION DIRT MILE
– Goldencents – out of Manitoba-bred dam Golden Works
– Handsome Mike – owned by J. Paul Reddam
GRADE 1 $1-MILLION JUVENILE FILLIES TURF
– Conquest Harlanate – Ontario-bred by Windhaven Farms
GRADE 1 $2-MILLION DISTAFF
– Unbridled Forever – owned by Charles Fipke
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2014
GRADE 1 $2-MILLION JUVENILE FILLIES
– Conquest Eclipse – U.S.-based, trained by Mark Casse
GRADE 1 $2-MILLION FILLY & MARE TURF
– Irish Mission (AE) – Ontario-bred multiple Sovereign Award winner
GRADE 1 $1-MILLION FILLY AND MARE SPRINT
– Judy the Beauty – Adena Springs Ontario-bred
– Leigh Court – Owned by Eugene Melnyk, trained by Josie Carroll
GRADE 1 $1-MILLION TURF SPRINT
– Eddie’s First – owned by J. Paul Reddam
– Kaigun – co-owned by Toronto-native Harvey Swartz (1st preference in the Mile)
– Something Extra – Woodbine-based, trained by Gail Cox
GRADE 1 $2-MILLION JUVENILE
– Blue Dancer (AE) – Western-Canada based
GRADE 1 $1.5-MILLION SPRINT
– Private Zone – Adena Springs Ontario-bred
– Indexical – owned by J. Paul Reddam
GRADE 1 $2-MILLION MILE
– Grand Arch – Woodbine-based, trained by Brian Lynch
– Handsome Mike – owned by J. Paul Reddam (first preference in Dirt Mile)
– Kaigun (Cross-entered in Turf Sprint)
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